The first National Congress of Business Clubs will take place on Wednesday, October 7, at the Hotel de Région Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. The event is organized by the West Lyon Business Club (CEOL), co-chaired by Vincent Lafay and Xavier Fechner. Between 300 and 500 business leaders, elected officials, and economic actors are expected to attend. The idea for the congress originated two years ago when Lafay and Fechner were elected to lead the club, which they were re-elected to lead three months ago. They identified a lack of a national congress for business clubs, despite existing meetings and appointments, and decided to create one to bring together clubs around their territorial role. To identify business clubs across France, the CEOL contacted approximately 1,200 inter-municipal communities. This effort allowed them to establish contacts in different regions and to exchange experiences. The objective of the congress is twofold: to share the thirty years of experience of the CEOL, based in the inter-municipal community of the Pays de L'Arbresle (17 communes), and to learn from other clubs. According to Lafay, the congress distinguishes itself from a simple networking event by the DNA of the CEOL, which "always links the economy to the territory." The CEOL organizes about thirty events per year and maintains close ties with local elected officials, business leaders, and training centers, which prepare future employees and business leaders. It promotes a local economy, where a business that sets up hires, attracts families, keeps schools, commerce, and services alive. Lafay believes that without an economy, a territory cannot function. As an osteopath in L'Arbresle, he also links with medical deserts, noting that healthcare professionals install where the territory is dynamic on the economic, cultural, and human levels, requiring commerce, restaurants, sports, and leisure activities. Lafay argues that rural territories have real advantages but need to be better known. He states that a doctor will settle in a territory if it is economically, culturally, and emotionally rich. The congress will notably welcome Agnès Verdier-Molinié on the theme "France facing the budget wall." Faced with a difficult political, geopolitical, and economic context, Lafay believes that business leaders are primarily seeking connection, not just exchanging business cards, but knowing each other and supporting each other. At the time of artificial intelligence, he advocates for a return to in-person meetings and human contact. The congress will take place under the honorary presidency of Fabrice Pannekoucke, president of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region, and Laurent Wauquiez, special advisor to the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region.